SEM_DESTROY

Section: Linux Programmer's Manual (3)
Updated: 2006-03-25
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NAME

sem_destroy - destroy an unnamed semaphore

SYNOPSIS

#include <semaphore.h>

int sem_destroy(sem_t *sem);

Link with -lrt or -pthread.

DESCRIPTION

sem_destroy() destroys the unnamed semaphore at the address pointed to by sem.

Only a semaphore that has been initialized by sem_init(3) should be destroyed using sem_destroy().

Destroying a semaphore that other processes or threads are currently blocked on (in sem_wait(3)) produces undefined behavior.

Using a semaphore that has been destroyed produces undefined results, until the semaphore has been reinitialized using sem_init(3).

RETURN VALUE

sem_destroy() returns 0 on success; on error, -1 is returned, and errno is set to indicate the error.

ERRORS

EINVAL: sem is not a valid semaphore.

CONFORMING TO

POSIX.1-2001.

NOTES

An unnamed semaphore should be destroyed with sem_destroy() before the memory in which it is located is deallocated. Failure to do this can result in resource leaks on some implementations.

COLOPHON

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Time: 19:49:24 GMT, April 27, 2011